For 50 years, British Columbia-based TufPort has made rugged truck slide-ins for Canada’s many far-flung employees. The model’s truck shells have turn into a go-to selection for area work, from emergency medical transports to distant farming.
After years of requests from clients, the model has delivered an overlanding model of its fashionable slide-ins. Leakproof, light-weight, and aerodynamic, the TufPort Overlander is a collaboration between the Canadian firm and Wasatch Overland, primarily based in Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah.
Geared for full-size vans (and even a few mid-size ones), the TufPort Overlander is constructed from a monocoque fiberglass design. With a low middle of gravity, the slide-in is almost noiseless whereas driving and barely impacts gasoline financial system, Wasatch Overland co-owner Aidan Bradney advised me.
The flagship TufPort Overlander mannequin is lots pricier than many alternate options from Scout Campers and 4-Wheel Campers. However Bradney contends the larger sturdiness and low weight are value the additional bucks.
“We actually took the slide-ins and floated them down the river,” he stated. “You possibly can’t do this with the opposite ones in the marketplace.”
TufPort Overlander: Fashions
Wasatch Overland designed three totally different inside fashions for the brand new slide-in: Extremely-Gentle, Sea to Sky, and Coast to Coast. The final possibility represents the “flagship” mannequin, and has to this point been the preferred.
The Coast to Coast affords an “east-to-west” sleeping format aimed toward {couples}. There’s sufficient room to take a seat reverse one another, a bigger mattress that converts from a dinette desk, and extra room for the bathroom. It’s “just a little extra bougie” than the opposite fashions, Bradney stated. The $33,800 price ticket additionally suggests a bourgeois earnings.
The Sea to Sky would be the most well-liked mannequin for “the one man who needs to retailer a pair mountain bikes whereas he’s touring,” Bradney stated. It’s received a “north-to-south” sleeping association with a smaller mattress that converts from a sofa. Apart from that, it’s received most of the similar facilities and an identical price ticket at $33,600.
Lastly, there’s the Extremely-Gentle mannequin. Extra compact and with fewer options than the opposite two choices, it’s additionally considerably cheaper at $24,500.
Weight & Top
TufPort and Wasatch have clearly labored onerous to trim kilos from their newest slide-ins. The Coast to Coast and Sea to Sky fashions clock in at 900 kilos. That’s a big drop from the 1,133 kilos of the $25,000 Scout Olympic camper or the whopping 1,670 kilos of 4WC’s most costly slide-in, the $38,000 Orvis Particular Version.
Nevertheless, 900 kilos remains to be heavy for many mid-size vans. In consequence, many of the slide-ins have offered for full-size automobiles. However Bradney stated they’ve efficiently added the Coast-to-Coast slide-in to 2 mid-size fashions as effectively: a brand new Toyota Tacoma and a Chevy Colorado. On the whole, it should work with any full-size truck with a 6.5-foot field or a mid-size model with a 6-foot field.
An aerodynamic construct makes for a clean trip and minimal impact on fuel mileage, in response to Bradney. A Coast to Coast mannequin constructed on his Toyota Tundra lowered his gasoline financial system by simply 0.6 miles per gallon, he stated.
For anybody as much as 6 ft tall, the mattress seems to be sufficiently lengthy for a good night time of sleep. Nevertheless, don’t anticipate to face up in these. They’re made for sitting or sleeping, with a 65-inch peak and 72-inch width on the inside. Tremendous-tall people might need to have a look at different choices.
In search of one thing even lighter? The Extremely-Gentle mannequin trims much more weight and clocks in at 750 kilos.
Camper Inside
Wasatch’s inside design makes use of many high-quality parts not at all times present in different slide-in choices. As an alternative of a GoalZero energy station, as discovered within the Scout Olympic, the TufPort Overlander has an built-in 2000W REDARC electrical system. It’s additionally received R22 fiberglass insulation that’s heat- and mold-resistant, together with 4-inch-thick cushions to maintain occupants cozy in chilly climate.
However Bradney stated the design remains to be geared extra towards shorter adventures than a semi-permanent life on the highway.
“They’re meant for dwelling out of, not for dwelling in. It’s a base camp,” Bradney stated. “On the similar time, we wished the bottom camp to have indoor cooking and different facilities.”
These embrace a 7-gallon water system with a USB Dometic faucet and chrome steel sink. There’s additionally cupboard storage, a ceiling fan, inside dome lights, dual-pane home windows with bug screens, and a 150W photo voltaic panel with an enlargement port. The Coast to Coast mannequin features a fridge/freezer. Not one of the fashions embrace a bathroom, although you’ll be able to add an emergency porta-potty for $200 to the Coast to Coast mannequin on a full-size truck.
Lastly, making the slide-in prepared for bedtime takes lower than a minute, in response to Bradney. “Aesthetically, it seems to be like nothing else in the marketplace,” Bradney stated. “We saved it slender with a 75-inch width, so it’s not massively hanging over the edges on a truck.”
TufPort Overlander: Availability
Wasatch Overland is presently taking orders for the brand new line of slide-ins. A $1,000 deposit will get manufacturing began in Salt Lake Metropolis, with a 3-to-4-month turnaround time. In the event you’re on the lookout for a slide-in that can final for years of journey in harsh climates, Bradney says that is the one for you.
“They will take a beating. That’s the concept,” he stated. “Put your self in freezing chilly circumstances or a rainstorm, and also you’ll see why that is the way in which to go.”
Study extra on the Wasatch Overland or TufPort web sites.
